Thailand and southern China strengthens economic partnership

Kunming Communist Party Secretary, Mr Qiu He and the permanent committee of Yunnan Communist Party of China yesterday paid courtesy calls to Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva at Government House. The visit was aimed to strengthen trade and investment relations between Thailand and China as well as China and all ASEAN countries.

China values Thailand as the country’s economic partner, according to Mr Qiu He. Thailand-China were praised for their bilateral relations. Mr Abhisit stated that the Thai government has a plan to extend economic relations with China. The plan specifically focuses on manipulating one- on-one province relationships. The government has also considered setting up a group of Thai representatives in Guangdong to enhance both countries’ problem-solving cooperation.

The visit of the Kunming Communist Party Secretary is believed to help promote other ranges of collaboration between Thailand and Yunnan Province as well as Kunming which is the capital of Yunnan. Yunnan is located in south western China and claims to be the nearest Chinese province to Thailand. The province also served as China’s gateway to ASEAN, while its capital, Kunming has grown to become a new market for Thailand for its cultural and geographic diversity.

By taking Bangkok as an example, the Chinese government has decided to transform Kunming into a modern city as well as an investment attraction. The city welcomes Thai investors with high investment potential to initiate investment in the area.

According to the Thai Prime Minister, the development on the Chiangrai-Kunming Route Construction Project would boost the amount of bilateral investment. Thai entrepreneurs are intent to expand their market territories in China as well as the city of Kunming especially in Thai agricultural products, specifically Thailand’s northern fruit exports and also tourism.

The Thai government is ready to support Chinese entrepreneurs in Thailand. The government has established ‘One Start One Stop Service’ to facilitate business operations and create confidence in Thailand among investors at one location. (NNT)